The position I took agreeing with the: "Lost Cause" tenet in the source linked to in my posting above stated that: "Overwhelming U.S. manpower and materiel resources had been FUNDAMENTAL (my caps) in bringing about the Confederate defeat."

You have apparently chosen to substitute the word: "Strictly" for the word: "Fundamental." Are you taking the position that the fundamental (ie: primary) cause of the Confederate defeat was not a disparity of manpower and resources, but that it was actually due to superior Union military prowess or inferior Confederate military prowess?